In the spirit of Thanksgiving coming up this week, I decided to make a list of some things that I didn’t realize how thankful I was for until coming to college. After being here at school for almost an entire semester, I am looking forward to being home for Thanksgiving break and Christmas break, as well as getting to enjoy all of these little things that I realized I had taken for granted.
1. Good food.
While some colleges may have gourmet food in their dining halls, mine does not. I’m not saying the food is terrible, because it's not terrible, it's just not great. And hey, the macaroni and cheese is actually pretty darn good. But during my first week here, the food in the cafeteria was described to me as being “hit or miss.” Unfortunately, the food leans toward the “miss” side of things more often than the “hit” side. Plus, I don't think anyone has every really said that they just love food from dining halls. So with that being said, I’m extra thankful for all of the meals that my mom and dad have cooked for me over the years, and I’m looking forward to eating some of my favorites when I go back home.
2. Not having to climb to get into my bed.
My bed at home is fairly low to the ground. That is a big contrast to my bed at school. My bed, like most college students’ beds, is lofted. So whenever I want to get up, or get down, I have to climb. This can kind of be a hassle, especially if I need to get down in the middle of the night, or if I’ve stayed up really late studying and don't feel like making the trek to get up into my bed. And there's always the risk of falling...
3. Not having to carry everything to the bathroom with me every time I go take a shower.
Shower caddies are great, but not as great as being able to leave your shampoo, conditioner, shaving cream, razor, and face wash in the actual shower. It’s nice to be at home and not have to worry about forgetting to bring something or bringing lots of wet plastic bottles back into your dorm room.
4. Mom and Dad.
I severely underestimated how homesick I would be during my first few weeks (maybe even months) of college. I didn’t realize how much I was going to miss my mom and dad. I miss getting hugs from them in the morning, I miss getting a kiss goodnight before I go to bed, I miss simply being able to use the words “mom” and “dad” on a daily basis. I was talking to a friend once and realized that ever since being at school, I haven’t really gotten to say those words very often. That’s kind of sad. If you’ve ever seen "The Parent Trap," it’s like when Annie goes to live with her father and says “dad” after every sentence because she has never gotten to say the word before. Sure, this is a much smaller scale than that, but still…I get her point. I’ll be extra thankful for hugs and kisses from my parents and getting to spend time with them.
5. Dogs.
I have two dogs, and I love them to pieces. They follow me around, snuggle with me, lick me, and just love to be around me. So it’s quite strange being at school where you rarely see dogs. Occasionally I’ll see someone walking a dog down the street, but it’s not the same as seeing my own dogs. Never will I ever take those puppy kisses for granted again, and I’m sure when I’m home there will be lots of naps taken with my dogs curled up at my feet!
6. Free laundry.
Being a collegiate cross country runner, I have to do laundry a lot. I typically have practice twice a day, meaning I have a lot of dirty clothes. So laundry has to be done often, or my roommate and I start to notice a strong odor coming from my laundry bag. Yuck. While one load of laundry isn’t necessarily TOO expensive, the cost adds up! Especially when you are doing two loads twice a week…having to pay to wash AND dry...and when you're a broke college kid. It’s nice to be able to come home, drop my laundry bag, and have my mom willingly do it for me for free. Maybe I should just start paying my mom whenever she does it. She definitely deserves it!
7. Driving.
Luckily, freshmen are allowed to have their cars at school here. Some colleges I know of don’t allow freshmen to bring their car…that would be terrible! However, there are some downsides to the car situation for freshmen where I go to school. We have to park about a half-mile down the road at our Athletic Campus. Which isn’t bad…until you need your car. Because of the hassle that it can sometimes be to go get my car, I don’t drive that much. So when I am home and have free reign on when I can drive, it definitely feels nice!
These are just a few of the things I’ve found that I’ve missed the most. I could go on and on about other things, but I’m sure you have your own things that you miss as well. With that in mind, when you go home next, be thankful for every minute you spend at your house, with your family, with your dogs, in your own shower…wherever you may be. Being away from something for a while just makes you appreciate it that much more!
